3week old not feeding - please help....

[angelald22]

hi everyone. Im new to all this, so please forgive me if i make any mistakes....lol

my daughter _ Evie-Rose is 3 weeks old & weighed a good 10lb 1.5oz when born. she fed brilliantly & slept thru for 6-7 hour periods at nite, but suddenly now, she is only taking 2oz of milk after going 6 or 7 hours between feeds & just sleeping.

Paediatricians have checked her out, taken bloods etc & cant find anything. All though she is settled between what little she is having, I am worried as this is nowhere enough milk for her size at her last weigh in - 10lb 12oz - which the paed agrees is nowhere near enough as she should be having around 25oz in a 12 hour period - but there is nothing they can do they said.

Anyone have a similar story or any ideas??? Im so worried
thank you

I know the paed said, and the Formula tin says that she isn't taking enough, but for her, she is!
DS was 8lb 12 1/2, and when we changed to FF at 3 weeks old and 10lb+, he was only taking 3-4 ounces every three hours.
He's 11 weeks and 15lb+, he has only just moved up to 6oz in the past few days.
As long as baby is happy, and is gaining weight along their growth line, then I wouldn't worry too much.
Congrats on your baby -

My dd never ook more than 2oz every 4 hours ever! I was worried sick butnshe gained weight and seemed settled. She stopped suddenly at 5 mths And we weaned which was a nightmare but we had a happy ending. We have since found out she was Tongue tied? This would have made drinking and eating hard work so she just took the minimum she needed. She is now four and wears aged seven clothes and eats really well. Tall and healthy.

We always woke for feeds And didn't let her ho for more than 4 hours till she was maybe 3 mths! I am not sure if that helped or not. But was stressful and really hard to feed a sleepy baby that isn't hungry!

Is she having plenty of wet/dirty nappies?

Is she gaining weight?

Congratulations on your little girl.

This doesn't sound right to me .

6-7 hours between feeds is too long for a 3 week old. They should have about 8 feeds a day, I think.

Has she been weighed since she started eating less? Is she having 6 very wet nappies a day and pooing?

I expect someone more expert will be along soon.

hiya - thanx zippysmum. She got weighed by the paediatrician the night they admitted her & although she hadnt lost weight - she hadnt gained either.
They agree that she isnt having enough feeds & I agree with you about the 8 feeds per day, but she still isnt right - but there is nothing they can do they said.....

Kadiya - lots of people keep telling me that too & she is really settled in between her feeds so im so confused. hmm
I have 2 children already & neither of them were like this so its all very new to me!

Forevermore - totally agree with you - I can wake her to feed her coz she just purses her lips & wont let me!! lol, and what on earth is tongue tied?? lol.... please elaborate coz this could be Evie!

Geordieminx - shes having a wet & dirty nappy everytime shes taking her feed, so im a little worried that what shes taking in, shes just pushing it right back out again.

Thankyou to all your replies too - if any of you can help me further - it would be much much appreciated.
Cheers ladies! x

This must be a real concern, angelald.

'Catch down' growth can be normal for babies born at this high weight - have they talked about this with you?

She is taking a lot less milk than most and sleeping a lot - the worry would be she is sleeping to conserve energy/calories.

OTOH, she has been checked out and presumably anything serious would have emerged.

Have they asked to see her again? Have you been given any advice by the HV?

Would a return to breastfeeding be an option for you?

hiya tiktok - no ive never heard of this. and nobody has spoken to me about it either.
the hv has just advised me to take her back to the doctors... just feels like they passing the book so to speak -- not sure how to feel about it all..

You can ask about catch down growth - it may not apply to you, but you can ask! Catch down just means that babies born quite heavy gradually return to a more average size as they get older. It means a slower weight gain rate.

It's good they can't find anything wrong, and it sounds like she's been thoroughly checked.

Did you breastfeed at first? What was her feeding like then?

I read up on the internet about this catch down tiktok & it really put my mind at ease more - so Id like to say a HUGE thankyou to you, because I think this IS partly appliable - so thanx!

I didnt breatsfeed she went straight onto the bottle, but she fed great, but to be fair - shes picking up again now - getting hungry more frequently & gradually increasing the amount she is taking - so fingers crossed!!

Will keep you updated - & just want to say thanx to all who replied - means alot to know others have advice that can maybe help.

Glad you feel a bit better, angelald

Dd#2 would not take much at each feed - then I moved her up a teat to an older baby teat with quicker flow - made a big difference to the amount she would take and she coped fine with the new flow rate - may be worth a go as she may just be finding it hard to take the milk and she may be getting fed up with sucking - if it comes easier she may take more.

hiya again all - just to let you know - Evie is back to normal & feeding more than ever - & beautifulgirls - iv upped her milk to hungrier baby & teat!!

Working wonders - like u say, i think shes too idle to suck hard enough!!! lol

Thanx again ladies for your support. Means alot. xx :O